For admittance to the master’s program applicants need to fulfill the following admission requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in ancient studies with a focus on Egyptology from Freie Universität Berlin or an equivalent degree in ancient studies/Near Eastern studies from a foreign university in which at least 60 credit points were acquired in modules or exams that were thematically linked to ancient Egypt.
• Proof of successful completion of a full language course in Middle Egyptian equivalent in scope to that offered by the Freie Universität Berlin is also required
• Proof of English skills (B2 CEFR) for applicants whose first language is not English and whose degree was not obtained at an institution of higher education where English was the language of instruction.

The DSH - or German Language University Entrance Exam for Foreign Students - is obligatory for all applicants whose first language is not German and who have earned their initial degree from a university (or equivalent institution) where the language of instruction is not German.

Egyptology focuses on the Pharaonic cultures of ancient Egypt from its emergence in the Neolithic cultures of the Nile Valley to its last manifestations in Late Antiquity. In taking this approach, the program includes all aspects of existence and expressions of these cultures. The program’s methodological approach draws on both philological/linguistic and archaeological sources, while aspects such as society, economy, history, religion, architecture, art, literature, language, etc. are also considered.

Due to the broad geographical influence of the Pharaonic state the subject of Egyptology also incorporates areas of research focussed on neighbouring regions, including ancient Nubia, adjacent desert areas, the Sinai Peninsula and the Levant. Further aspects of study include the history of the reception and transformation of Egypt during the Pharaonic, Byzantine and early Islamic periods.

The Master‘s course provides students with an in-depth knowledge of both subject matter and methods in Egyptology while integrating interdisciplinary elements. Through the strong international profile of the degree course students obtain an understanding of international research questions, research frameworks and practices. Through this course, students gain an in-depth understanding of various Egyptological subject areas, research methods and relevant theoretical frameworks.

The programme comprises a set of mandatory modules (60 credit points), a set of elective modules (30 credit points) and the Master’s thesis (30 credit points). The mandatory part includes the modules “History of Egyptian Language and Writing”, “Philology and Text Culture in Pharaonic Egypt”, “Egyptian Archaeology and Monuments”, “Theory and Interpretation in Egyptian Archaeology”, “Methods in Egyptology” and “History and Cultural History of Ancient Egypt”. Through these modules students acquire competencies in further forms of language and writing, such as Late Egyptian, Coptic or other stages of the Egyptian language and Hieratic script. In addition, students gain advanced knowledge in specialist fields of Egyptology and with regard to scientific methods and theories. The modules “Methods in Egyptology” and “History and Cultural History of Ancient Egypt” combine the focal areas of Egyptological studies – Egyptian archaeology and Egyptian philology. As a result of these modules students acquire specialist knowledge of Egyptological subjects and methods that prepare them for their Master’s thesis. The elective part allows the students to participate in non-Egyptological modules (maximum of 25 credit points; the remaining credit points derive from Egyptological modules). This interdisciplinary element of the course allows students to cross the boundaries of the subject and to integrate new academic perspectives in their research.

Graduates of this programme will acquire academic competences and further professional qualifications.

The Master’s course in Egyptology does not only prepare students for an academic career but also for professional activities related to culture and education (e.g. publishing houses, media, cultural and educational institutions). In addition, the course qualifies the students to carry out doctoral studies in accordance with the respective admission requirements.

Selected publications by lecturing staff of the Egyptological Seminar:

• Beck, Tina 2016: Perspektivenwechsel. Eine Reflexion archäologischen Arbeitens in Ägypten: Die lokalen Grabungsarbeiter des Asyut Project. The Asyut Project 8. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz.
• Beck, Tina 2018: Postkoloniale Objektepistemologien? Homi Bhabhas Konzepte in archäologischen Forschungen – ein Überblick. In: M. Hilgert, H. Simon, K. P. Hofmann (eds.): Objektepistemologien. Zur Vermessung eines Transdisziplinären Forschungsraums. Berlin Studies of the Ancient World 59. Berlin: Edition Topoi, 237-262.
• Hodgkinson, Anna K. 2017: Technology and Urbanism in Late Bronze Age Egypt. Oxford Studies in Egyptian Archaeology. Oxford: Oxford Univ. Press.
• Hodgkinson, Anna K. und Miriam Bertram 2020: Working with fire: making glass beads at Amarna using methods from metallurgical scenes. In: F. Rademakers et al (eds.): Proceedings of ICA 2: Contributions of Experimental Archaeology to Excavation and Material Studies. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports 33.
• Kahl, Jochem 2007: Ancient Asyut: the first synthesis after 300 years of research. The Asyut Project 1. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, (2. unveränderte Auflage 2012).
• Kahl, Jochem und Eva Cancik-Kirschbaum 2018: Erste Philologien. Archäologie einer Disziplin vom Tigris bis zum Nil. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck.
• Kruck, Elisabeth und Jan Dahms 2017: Ipiemsaef, A New Insight into his Tomb, his Coffin, and his Burial Equipment. In: M. Barta, F. Coppens, J. Krejci (ed.): Abusir and Saqqara in the Year 2015. Prag: Czech Institute of Egyptology.
• Kruck, Elisabeth 2012: Eindrücke. Grabkegel als Elemente thebanischer Grabarchitektur. Archäologische Veröffentlichungen 124. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz.
• Richter, Tonio Sebastian und Eitan Grossman: “The Egyptian-Coptic language: Its setting in space, time and culture”. In: E. Grossman, M. Haspelmath, T. S. Richter (eds.): "Egyptian-Coptic linguistics in typological perspective". Empirical Approaches to Language Typology 55. Berlin/New York: De Gruyter Mouton, 59-101.
• Richter, Tonio Sebastian 2016: “»einen Bau …, der nicht von grossen Sprachanlagen der Nation zeugt«: Die Klassifikation des Ägyptischen in der vergleichenden Sprachwissenschaft des 19. Jahrhunderts”. Denkströme. Journal der Sächsischen Akademie der Wissenschaften 16, 9-35 <http://www.denkstroeme.de/heft-16/s_9-35_richter>
• Steinbach-Eicke, Elisabeth 2019: “Taste Metaphors in Hieroglyphic Egyptian”. In: L.Speed, C. O’Meara, L. San Roque, A. Majid (eds): Perception Metaphors, Converging Evidence in Language and Communication Research 19. Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins, 145-164.
• Steinbach-Eicke, Elisabeth und Sven Eicke 2020: “‘He shall not be buried in the West’ - Cursing in Ancient Egypt”. In: N. Nassenstein, A. Storch (eds): Swearing and Cursing. Contexts and Practices in a Critical Linguistic Perspective. Language and Social Life 22, Berlin/Boston: Walter de Gruyter, 303-325.